Lubricator.



PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904:.

J. POWELL. LUBRIGATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 23, 1903.

No MODEL.

NITED STATES Patented November 29, 1904.

PATENT Orrrcn.

LUBRICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 776,422, dated November29, 1904.

Application filed December 23, 1903. Serial No. 186,270- (No model.)

To aZZ whmn. it may concern;

Be it known thatI, JAMES POWELL, acitizen of the United States, residingin the city of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lubricators; andIdo declare the following to be a clear, full, and exact descriptionthereof, attention being called to the accompanying drawings, with thereference characters marked thereon, which form also a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in lubricators or oil-cups usedfor supplying lubricant automatically to moving and operating parts inmachinery. It relates more particularly to such oilers in which theoperation is by gravity and where the discharge may be regulated as toquantity as well as entirely interrupted when desired.

The invention consists of certain features of such a device whereby itsconstruction is improved, its manufacture simplified, and its efliciencyincreased.

In the following specification, and particularly pointed out in theclaims, is found a full description of the invention, together with itsmanner of use, parts, and construction, which latter is also illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section ofan oiler of the type mentioned. Fig. 2 shows in side view, with partsbroken away, the mechanical or operating parts detached. Fig. 3 is aside elevation of the device, the View being taken in a plane at rightangles to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a horizontal section of it on line 4 1 ofFig. 1. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail view of the springbearingand screwplug. Fig. 6 is an underside View of cap 37.

Such devices consist, substantially, of the oil retainer or reservoir, ashank or nipple on it permitting attachment, such nipple containing alsothe discharge-outlet and means to regulate and control the discharge ofthe oil. There usually intervenes a so-calledsightchamber between theattaching means and the oil-reservoir, which as to part of its inclosurebeing formed of glass permits observation of the action of the device.

5 The oil-reservoir consists principally of a shell 10, usuallycylindrical and of glass and closed by two heads, the upper one or capbeing indicated by 11 and the lower one or bottom being indicated by 12.These three parts are held to each other to form the oil cup or chamberin any suitable wayas, for instance, by a central post or tie 13, havinga flange 14 to bear on the outside of cap 11 and being seated with itslower screw-threaded end in a tapped socket 15 on the inner side ofbottom 12. Flange 14; forms a nut, so that tie-post 13 may be readilyturned into its socket 15, whereby the two heads are drawn together andheld toward each other with shell 10 clamped between them, therebyforming the oil-chamber complete.

16 is a plug to close a suitable fill-opening.

On the under side of bottom 12 there is a screw-threaded boss 17receiving the correspondingly-threaded housing 18, which forms the sightchamber, above referred to, and for which purpose part of this inclosinghousing is provided with sight-openings closed by glass to permitinspection of the interior. Below this sight-chamber there is theperforated attaching-nipple 19, screw-threaded to permit placing of thedevice in a position as shown in Fig. 3, 21 indicating a certain ma-.chine member in said figure on which this oiler is to be used forlubricating. This present oiler being particularly designed forlubricatingthe cylinder of an explosive-engine,

it is necessary to provide a check-valve 22 to reduce or preventreaction from the charge or gases exploded within said cylinder. Thischeck valve, which may be in form of a ball, is adapted to close theoutlet-opening 23 in the sight-chamber from below and is confined withinnipple 19 by means of a perforated plug 24;.

The oil-chamber is vented by means of a vent tube or passage 25, part ofthe gases which escape past the check-valve 22 forming a sufficientventing medium in place of air, the use of this latter beinginadmissible, since an air-inlet opening in the oil-chamber would alsopermit escape of such gases, which is objectionable on account of theodor, as well as because of the fact that it would force up the oil.

Hence the oil-chamber whenever the de- 1 00 vice is used in suchconnection is accordingly closed air-tight. The oil feeds by gravity outthrough a port 26 in socket 15 into a recess 27, formed within boss 17,and from.here out through a perforated drip-nozzle 28 into thesight-chamber below. From here the final escape takes place throughopening 23, the oil passing out through nipple 19 at moments when thecheck-valve is thrown up from its seat. The discharge of oil from theoil-reservoir is controlled by a valve 29, fitted against a seat at theupper or inner end of drip-nozzle 28. This valve is carried at the lowerend of a stem 31 and normally held to its seat by a spring 32 bearingagainst a collar 33 on said stem and all contained within post 13, whichis hollow for such purpose. A screw-plug 34: serves to stop the upwardthrust of the spring, the latter for such purpose being held within suchplug by being seated in threads cut in the bore of such plug and fittingthe coils of the spring, as shown at 34:. (See also Fig. 5.)

For lifting the valve there is a handle 35, pivoted to the upper end ofthe valve-stem and so arranged that the length of the lower part ofitthat is, that part of it below pivotpin 36exceeds at least half of thewidth of such handle. The effect of such arrangement is that if thehandle is raised from a position shown in Fig. 1 to one shown in Figs. 2or 3 the valve is raised off from its seat, as best shown in Fig. 2. Inboth these positions the handle bears against a cap 37, seated on theupper end of screw-plug 34. The object of this particular feature, notconsidered as new, is to permit the feed to be quickly started orstopped, a knock on this handle closing the valve and a turn of itupwardly opening it. The quantity of the feed may be regulated byadjusting the extent of opening of the valve, which is done by raisingor lowering it with respect to its seat on the inner end of thedripnozzle. This is done by raising or lowering screw-plug 34 withinpost 13, it being seated therein by means of a screw connection.

In Fig. 2 the valve is shown adjusted to open to about its fullestextent. This opening may be decreased by lowering it toward its seat bymeans of the screw-plug within post 13. This adjustment being of coursenecessarily a limited one has no bearing on the opening or closingmanipulation of the handle, since this latter will always raise thevalve to the position to which it has been adjusted, while on closingspring 32 will readily yield, and thus compensate for the reduced throwof the valve 29, the only effect being that the valve-stem remains in alittle higher position relatively to the screw-plug. For turning thislatter for purpose of so adjusting the valve, cap 37, seated on theupper end of the screw-plug, is

used, its recess which receives this upper end being otherwise thanroundas, for instance, as shown 1n Flg. 6-such upper end beingcorrespondingly shaped and fitted into 1t.

To prevent lost motion and rattlingof handle 35 when the same by reasonof changed adjustment of the valve would be lifted clear of cap 37 inthe position of parts shown in Fig. 1, 1 cause this cap to follow upsuch handle, which is done by inserting a spring under it, such springbeing contained in hollow screwplug 3 1 and held as before described forspring 32. it being seated in threads cut to fit the coils of suchspring. As a matter of fact springs 32 and 38 are formed in onecontinuous spring held between its ends by the threads mentioned and asshown at 34,where by as to function it is caused to form the twosprings. It will now be seen that if the throw of the valve, shortenedby adjustment,

would cause the valve-stem to be slightly raised out of the upper end ofthe screw-plug the handle will still be held spring-tight, since cap 37raised by spring 38, follows it, sliding up on screw-plug 3 1. Theadjustment of the valve by means of this screw-plug is preserved by ajam or look nut 39, which is turned down against flange 14.

T o prevent oil. from leaking into the hollow post 13 and working outabove, I provide a stuffing-box in the lower end of such post, thepacking used being held by a gland 41.

When this oil-cup is used otherwise than on explosive-engines, thecheck-valve and in ternal vent-tube may be omitted.

Having described my invention, I claim as new 1. In a lubricator, thecombination of an oilreservoir formed of a cylindrical shell, an upperand a lower head, the latter having a socket on its inner side providedwith an outlet-port in its bottom and a drip-nozzle below, a hollowtie-post provided with a shoulder which engages the upper head and bybeing tapped into the socket of the lower head, holds the heads to eachother and in position on the shell to form the oil-reservoir, aspringactuated valve-stem contained in this tie-post, having a valve atits lower end, a screw-plug open at both ends to adjust the position ofthis valve-stem, a cap seated on the upper end of this plug closing thesame thereat and engaging it for purposes of rotation to adjust thesame, a manipulating handle pivotally attached to the upper end of thevalve-stem which latter extends through this plug and cap, protrudingbeyond this latter and a spring contained under the cap to hold the samenormally against the handle in all adjusted positions.

2. In an oil-cup, the combination of an oilreservoir formed of acylindrical shell and two heads, a hollow tie-post to hold these twolatter in position, a hollow screw-plug seated in the upper part of thistie-post, a spring engaging both the tie-post and the screw-plug andheld between its ends by the screw-plug, a valve-stem passing throughthis tie-post and screw-plug and having a valve at its lower end TOC!and a manipulating-handle at its upper one, a collar seated on thisvalve-stem engaged by the lower end of the spring and a cap seated onthe upper end of the screw-plug for manipu- 5 lating the same said capalso closing this upper end and being kept normally against the handleby the upper end of this spring.

3. In an oil-cup provided With an outletport, the combination of a valvecontrolling I this outlet, means to adjust this valve, a

spring to hold this valve normally to its seat and a plug provided Withinterior threads in which said spring is seated.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my sig nature inthe presence of twoWitnesses.

JAMES POWELL.

Witnesses:

(J. SPENGEL, ARTHUR KLINE.

